Newark beats St. Andrew's 55-50

Newark holds on to beat St. Andrew's 55-50 in boys high school basketball action.

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By Joe Backerjoe.backer@doverpost.com

Hockessin Community News

By Joe Backerjoe.backer@doverpost.com

Posted Mar. 2, 2013 at 7:43 PM
Updated Mar 2, 2013 at 7:48 PM

By Joe Backerjoe.backer@doverpost.com

Posted Mar. 2, 2013 at 7:43 PM
Updated Mar 2, 2013 at 7:48 PM

It was a case of too much defense by the Newark Yellowjackets, as the St. Andrew's Cardinals lost in the second round of the DIAA boys' basketball tournament for the second straight year.

The Jackets advanced to the second round after beating Sussex Central 59-50, Thursday night in a nail-biter in Newark. Central trailed 11-0 at one point, and 18-4, but clawed back to make the game an exciting contest.

The Jackets rolled to a 16-6 lead in the first period, and held their momentum through much of the game.

The Cardinals, behind their 'Top Guns' Ben Bentil and Andrew Tilghman, closed the gap in the second quarter, to bring the half-time deficit to 28-24.

The third quarter was a defensive struggle, with neither team willing to give up an inch, let alone an easy basket. After 24 minutes of hard play, Newark still led 34-30.

In the fourth and deciding period, St. Andrew's worked hard to get momentum and inside advantage, but Newark' size proved to be a good match against the Cardinals. Ultimately, Newark's defense was able to hold off St. Andrew's and advance to the quarter finals of the tournament this week.

The Cardinals, with a number of sophomores and juniors on the team, finished the season with a 16-4 record.